Wednesday, 14 January 2009

Among the few survivors of the battle of Troy was a Prince called Bianor. Fleeing the battle he made his way to Greece and then to Albania, where he founded a Kingdom.

On his death his son Tiberius succeeded to the throne. Tiberius had two sons. The first, also called Tiberius, was legitimate. His second, named alter his grandfather Bianor, was the love child of Tiberius’s relationship with a simple peasant girl called Mantua.

Trying to avoid problems with the succession, King Tiberius gave Mantua a great fortune and sent her, with her son, into exile in Italy.

Once in Italy, the she founded a city in the north of the country, which she named after herself, then called Manto and today known as Mantova.

When Bianor reached adulthood he had a dream in which the God Apollo advised him to refuse the Kingship of Manto that his mother offered and depart with some loyal followers in the direction of the dying sun.

Before leaving, on the advice of his mother, he took the name of “Ocno”, which means “He who is given to see the future in dreams”.

They journeyed here and there for nearly ten years. One evening, after the sun had set, Ocno set his camp for the night. Again Apollo appeared to him in a dream, telling him that this was the place where he must found a new city to which he would give his life. On waking he saw to his surprise he was on a beautiful, peaceful plateau, richly wooded and with abundant water. Nearby grazed plentiful flocks of sheep and the shepherds seemed happy and of good character. They called themselves “Carpetanos” or “Those with no Town” and travelled with their flocks, hoping one day for a sign from their gods to show them a place they could call home.

Ocno told them all about his dream and the shepherds took it to be the sign they had waited for. Soon they began to construct walls and houses, a palace and a temple. When the city was finished they arranged a ceremony to consecrate it to their gods. But there was disagreement. Because of Ocno’s dream some thought it should be consecrated to Apollo, but others disagreed. Ocno left them to their squabbles and falling asleep under an oak tree found once again that Apollo came to him in a dream. Supplicating himself before the god, he asked for guidance in solving the conflict. Apollo told him that there were two important things that had to be done to resolve the problem. The first was that the city should be named and dedicated for the goddess Metragirta, who was also known as Cibeles, goddess of the earth and daughter of Saturn. The second thing to do was that in order for the decision to be impartial, Ocno should offer his own life as a sacrifice. On waking, Ocno told the assembled masses what the god had told him. Taking a shovel he began to dig a deep well. When it was finished he lowered himself in it and had the mouth covered with a huge carved stone.

For a month the population mourned his death. They sang funereal hymns and praised his memory. At the end of the month when the moon had completely waned a terrible storm arose and a cloud descended from the heights of Guadarrama. On the cloud rode the Goddess Cibeles who raised Ocno from his tomb and carried him away to paradise. From that moment, the City was called Metragirta as Apollo had ordained. Later the name changed to Magerit until it finally became Madrid; “The City of men with no country”.